In celebration of a glass of wine, the finest of fare, the craft of good food writing -- and forthright "foodies" everywhere.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Forbidden Video?

Beth Holloway Twitty talks with Aruban prime minister Nelson Oduber

An interesting development in the Natalee Holloway case, the Birmingham, Alabama teen who has been missing on the island of Aruba since May 30, and would have started her first semester of college here in the US this past week. According to CNN's Nancy Grace broadcast last night (see: Transcripts), an NBC camera crew was able to gain access inside the Aruban jail and reportedly made verbal contact with 17-year-old Joren Van Der Sloot, who is being held as the prime suspect in the case. As a result of this, an Aruban judge is now threatening the NBC network here in the US with heavy financial sanctions if they air this video, which allegedly shows Van Der Sloot laid back in a carefree pose, feet up, and reading a paperback novel while police are still out hunting for clues in Holloway's disappearance.

And of course, my 3 top questions regarding this unsolved mystery that has been going on for seemingly FAR too long are:

1. Can this judge actually impose such sanctions against NBC or any other US TV network for showing whatever the HELL they like regarding this case, that has obviously been botched by the Aruban authorities since Day 1?

2. What could possibly be on this video that Van Der Sloot or those connected with him -- have to hide?

3. As much as I loved the island of Aruba when I visited there back in the 90s, when are we as Americans going to stop our flow of "tourism" dollars from going there -- until this unfortunate mystery is solved?

I'm sure that Beth Holloway Twitty, the mother of this young woman who disappeared without a trace almost 3 months ago, as well as the rest of the Holloway family would LOVE to know the answer to the latter.

Have a safe weekend, all. And while we're at it -- let's not forget to hug our children, both big and small.

About Me

Helen Dowdell is a longtime member of the International Women's Writing Guild, former freelance journalist and executive speechwriter for both the New York Urban League and the New York Chapter of the NAACP. Her articles have been featured in both Essence and Self Magazines, Cooking Light, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Amsterdam News, and the City Sun News. Her short fiction has been featured in Sister 2 Sister and Honey Magazines, as well as various online literary e-zines.
She's currently busy at work on a novel which -- will take readers in a totally "new" direction. Really.
Stay tuned....